1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tube joint to be used in order that a fluid tube, which is formed with a passage for introducing and discharging, for example, a fluid or a pressure fluid, is connected to a fluid pressure-operated apparatus such as a solenoid-operated valve and a cylinder.
2. Description of the Related Art
The tube joint has been hitherto used to connect and couple a fluid tube to a fluid pressure-operated apparatus such as a solenoid-operated valve and a cylinder. An end of the fluid tube having a predetermined outer diameter is connected to the tube joint. The outer circumference of the end of the connected fluid tube is engaged with a fastening section which is formed in an annular configuration on a nut member of the tube joint to avoid disengagement.
However, the conventional tube joint as described above sometimes encounters a situation in which the wall thickness of the fluid tube slightly differs, for example, due to any manufacturing error, even when the outer diameter of the fluid tube is identical. For example, when a fluid tube, which has an identical outer diameter but which has a thin wall thickness as compared with a previously used fluid tube, is used, the force is decreased to fasten the fluid tube by means of the fastening section. As a result, it has been feared that the fluid tube is easily disengaged from a main body section of the fluid pressure-operated apparatus or the like.
A general object of the present invention is to provide a tube joint which makes it possible to reliably avoid disengagement of a fluid tube with respect to a main body section of a fluid pressure-operated apparatus even in the case of connection of the fluid tube which has a predetermined identical outer diameter but which has a slightly different wall thickness due to any manufacturing error or the like.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.